


you taught me the courage of stars before you left

by NuclearGhoul



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Au Ra Raen (Final Fantasy XIV), Au Ra Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), Character Study, F/M, Female Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood Spoilers, Light Angst, Patch 4.0: Stormblood Spoilers, can this be considered light?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-17 17:09:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29353992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NuclearGhoul/pseuds/NuclearGhoul
Summary: Yome and her thoughts after Doma Castle.
Relationships: Hien Rijin & Warrior of Light, Hien Rijin/Warrior of Light
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4





	you taught me the courage of stars before you left

**Author's Note:**

> this was originally a snippet but the bookclub and all of their greatness gave me inspiration to turn it into an actual fic.  
> so if you're here from the bookclub  
> hi! and thankyou
> 
> i also took the title from a Sleeping at Last song [ Saturn ]

Yome stared wide-eyed as Gosetsu caught the crumbling wall and held it up with his own two arms. He groaned with the weight of the debris, but he urged them to flee. The AuRa sucked in a breath, nodding her head when he gave them the order. He was doing this so they could live. He was dying for them. She chewed on her lip and called Hien’s name softly, explaining they didn’t have much time. That Gosetsu was saving them. That the wall was heavy. That they needed to _leave_. And yet the man stood still, brow furrowed before giving his last words to the samurai. 

As he did so she looked around dust falling, urging Yugiri to start heading out, hearing Cirina call for them. She did once Yome promised that she would be out with Hien soon after. The ninja began to move, running ahead of her, waiting for them just outside the worst of the rubble calling for Cirina on where they were to be. 

“We have to go.” Yome said quietly, urgently. 

She turned her attention back to Hien and reached a hand out to grasp his empty one. She squeezed it and pulled it towards her, “Shun please...” She almost pleaded to the man hoping for some sort of reaction. The pressure of the squeeze seemed to snap him out of the stupor he was in as he turned towards her nodding his head. He said one last thing to Gosetsu before he turned towards her finally. 

“Thank you Gosetsu. For everything.” Yome told the elder man kindly with a smile. He had helped her when she was a child before she left Doma. He taught her most of what she knew in regard to using a blade. He found ways for her to use her size to an advantage, lessons she still used today. 

“Promise me that you’ll watch him.” He told her quietly, huffing as he coughed blood. She began to push Hien ahead of her, urging him quietly to go. He moved then hesitancy still showing in his steps but he listened to her silent urgings. His brow was furrowed as he reached his hand back for her to take. 

“I promise.” She said gently enough for him to hear before taking the offered hand so they could escape. She turned to follow his lead; their hands still clasped tightly together. The pair took off running, meeting up with Yugiri as the castle around them began to fully fall to pieces. 

Cirina delivered their Yol’s moments later, and they climbed up onto their backs. Yome looked over to Hien from where she kneeled on the back of her bird. Her brow furrowed, lip back to being chewed on between her lips. She wanted to reach out to him. She wanted to comfort her friend, do something, anything to give him some sort of reassurance. But she had to wait. They had to get to safety. 

The Yol’s turned and the three of them followed Cirina back to the Enclave, Gosetsu’s Yol flying low beside Hien’s as they traveled. They were safe and they had won. But at what cost? 

* * *

They arrived late to the Enclave, the sun halfway down in the sky, the shadows long and dark. The larger pieces of rubble would need to be cleared away, but the Enclave looked better than worse. The crowd of Doman’s having already been taken there, eagerly waiting for something. Well, someone. And when they spotted Hien, they all bowed down to him, he was who they were waiting for. They were waiting for their Lord. Yome looked at him as they all began to kneel and nudged him with her arm. 

“Go they await words from their Lord.” She said quietly, smiling warmly at him when he turned to look at her. He stuttered slightly in response, before clearing his throat. 

“Come with me?” he requested hesitantly. Yome frowned opening her mouth to refuse when his look turned pleading. 

She nodded her head, giving a soft sigh, “of course.” She hooked her arm through his, “lead the way my Lord.” She hummed with a quiet laugh. He laughed at her quip, a sound that was like music to her, before walking ahead pulling her along. The two of them walked through the kneeling people, Yome’s tail tucking itself around her leg from where it was hidden beneath her hakama as they came to the head of all the people. She looked out over the crowd, everybody was still kneeled before him, eyes downward. 

Waiting for him. 

As he cleared his throat, she released his arm and took a step back barely behind him, giving him a push forward as she did with a wink silently encouraging him to lead and address his people. He stared at her with wide eyes before turning, standing up straighter. She looked down as he spoke, hands buried in the cloth of her outfit, a fond smile curling up her face with the words he said. He was born to lead. She knew this. His father had mentioned to her once a long time ago how well Hien spoke when he comforted her after she broke her wrist when they were 13. He had said that he would make a great King one day. When Doma was liberated and their people free, Hien would be a fine ruler. 

She agreed with Lord Kaien at the time, and she still agreed with what he said now. Listening to Hien and just watching him had her clenching her hands. He was so much stronger than her. While he was genuine and honest, she was fake and wore a mask to further push her act. An act that portrayed her as the unbreakable, unshakeable Warrior of Light, when instead she was one wrong move from a breakdown. 

And she realized it the moment they fled from the sunken castle without Gosetsu. 

Careful as she was to keep her eyes downcast as she spoke to Alphinaud when they returned to Monzen, regrouping with the others to relay what had happened. He didn’t press her, realizing very quickly that she didn’t wish to speak. He had known her long enough at this point to understand her tells. He had grabbed Alisaie’s hand and silently shook his head when his twin reached out to comfort their friend. She would not accept the comfort today. Not now, but perhaps later. When they were back in Eorzea. 

Yome’s brow furrowed momentarily as grieved for her elder in silence, before putting a smile on and doing what she could to keep Hien grounded. He must have been feeling the same pain she was. They did grow up together, treated as equals in the eyes of the elder samurai. 

She was not born of noble blood, but he had regarded her highly as if she were, entertaining her want to learn how to better use a blade. He had taken her in, cared for her, taught her ways to survive and become stronger. 

_Have courage. Never let them know you are afraid._

She was unafraid because of him. She realized years later, after she and her mother fled Doma to Eorzea that he had been the reason she was able to stand up to so many people, chin high and eyes narrowed. He had taught her how to be courageous. How to be brave. He had treated her as if she were his own daughter becoming a father-figure to the then young Auri. She did not have her own, so he was as close as it got. And now he was gone. 

And it hurt. 

_Gods did it hurt._

Yome sucked in a breath of air to calm herself and her thoughts realizing in an almost panic that Hien was done talking. Before her act was discovered, she forced a bright smile onto her face as he turned back to her, “you speak well my lord.” She teased softly using his formal title when she knew she never needed too. 

“I’ll admit, I did feel braver knowing that you were here.” He stated sheepishly, one of his hands moving to rub the back of his neck. She snorted, moving closer to hip bump him. 

“Oh please, you would’ve done fine even if I wasn’t.” she laughed, “I’ve never been known for being able to speak but you’ve always been a good one.” She said fondly, tilting her head to the side, “even if it was to get us out of trouble.” Sticking her tongue out playfully. 

He rolled his eyes and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her in closely, “aye you’re not wrong. We did get into many troubles as children.” He chuckled; head turned to look at her with a fond smile. She felt her face warm up at his look before she gave a laugh and pushed on his face with her hand, finding a way to quickly distract him before she became overwhelmed once more. 

“If I remember correctly, it was mostly because _you_ wanted to do things that were considered dangerous!” she snorted. 

“That may be true, but keep in mind it was you who kept picking fights with anybody who dared to speak ill about me.” He reminded her, free hand moving to pull on her cheek. She moved her head away, grumbling out his name as he tugged on it. 

She laughed quietly, “yeah, yeah, yeah.” Rolling her eyes at him as he made his point. He laughed soundly, pulling her in just a bit closer as they moved along back through the crowd. Hien mingling and speaking to those who had questions for him. 

Yome looked up at him as he talked, smiling in the slightest. He seemed better. But she knew it was far from over. They had lost somebody they equally cared for. 

She was hurting. But she knew he was too, so she would do whatever possible to make him feel better. She would watch over him like Gosetsu had asked of her.

Even if it meant smiling through the pain, she would do so courageously.

**Author's Note:**

> if you made it this far  
> hi again  
> i hope you enjoyed it !
> 
> \- Nukey


End file.
